Did EMP From The Starfish Prime Nuclear Test Damage Hawaiian Streetlights In 1962?

So if you are like me and follow the topic of EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) then you have likely read about the Hawaiian streetlights. It’s a long story but in short in 1962 we (USA) decided it would be good to strap a big (1.4 MT) thermonuclear bomb on a Thor rocket and blow it up in space 250 miles (400KM) above Johnston Island. This test was called Starfish Prime.

Roughly the same time as the detonation several series wired strings of streetlights failed in Hawaii 900 miles (1445KM) from the blast. Did High Altitude EMP (HEMP) from Starfish Prime cause the streetlights to fail? That’s what this cool read attempts to find out.

This cool read was written by Charles N. Vittitoe Electromagnetic Applications Division Sandia National Laboratories in 1989